Monday, January 19, 2015

Melissa Snark's Battle Cry

After
losing her lover and then her mate, Victoria Storm builds a new life in Sierra
Pines, California. When the Norse Fates predict

the she-wolf will destroy the
world to save her unborn child, her duties as Freya’s priestess conflict with
her responsibilities as Odin’s Valkyrie.

Sawyer
Barrett has hunted Victoria so passionately, he doesn't know whether he loves
or hates her. Desperate to end the fighting, he will take chances with
everything—except his heart. This hunter harbors a deadly secret he can't
reveal without risking the tentative ceasefire and his father’s continued
disapproval.

Men
revere him; monsters fear him. Jake Barrett—the notorious Hunter King—values
loyalty to family above all else. When he believes his eldest son was murdered
by a wolf ally, he releases a chain reaction of violent destruction that claims
the lives of both wolves and hunters.

An
ancient vampire plots the destruction of wolves and hunters alike. If the
embittered rivalry doesn't end quickly, there is no hope for the Hunters,
Victoria's pack, or the mortal world.

Shadows enshrouded Skuld,
and her voice manifested upon the air, thick and oppressive, closing in from all
sides. "Your daughter will not grow to adulthood in Midgard."

Victoria's heart slammed
against her breastbone. Her breath expelled in a horrified gust. The bowl
dropped from her hands which flew to protect her abdomen. "What do you
mean?"

"Your daughter will be
taken from you on the eve of her third birthday," Skuld said. "The
one you trust most, a member of your own pack, will give the child over to your
greatest enemy."

A growl trembled in
Victoria's throat, and her entire body shook under the dual assault of fear and
rage. The suggestion of betrayal from within her own pack filled her with
disbelief to the core of her being. It was unthinkable. Gritting her teeth, she
sought a solution, refusing to dwell on it. "How am I to prevent
this?"

"We speak of what will
come to pass," Verðandi said in a sympathetic tone.

"Your predictions are
not carved in stone," Victoria said. Arguing with Fate was a foolish
endeavor, but she refused to accept their prophecy.

The old woman, Urðr, smiled
with a frightening gleam in her eyes. "Predictions, carved into the trunk
of the World Tree, carved into the spiritual fabric of the world."

Stubborn determination
settled over Victoria like armor. Her mother had taught her there was no
absolute fate, just as there was no absolute free will. Life consisted of a
wide range of possibilities between the two extremes. She refused to allow her
daughter to die at three years of age. She would move worlds, alter fate, slay
gods.

Skuld took over speaking.
"To save your daughter, you will side with Loki against the Aesir. You
will use your enchanted dagger to cut the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. You
will be responsible for freeing the beast that kills Odin."

Victoria's stomach turned.
Her head shook in automatic denial. "When the gods imprisoned Fenrir, my
people pledged fealty to the Aesir. We have served them loyally ever since.
Even when we were driven from the homeland, almost a millennium ago, we
remained faithful. I will never cut Fenrir's bonds. To do so would end the
world we live in and doom us all."

Skuld's gaze held steady.
"You will."

Victoria snarled her
denial. "No. I will never become the servant of the Trickster or willingly
take part in bringing about Odin's death."

Skuld turned her head and pinned Victoria with
one black eye that rolled in its socket like a liquid marble. "To save your
daughter, you will."

Fast
Facts About Melissa Snark:

Melissa Snark
is published with The Wild Rose Press &Nordic Lights Press with six

unique titles.

Her Loki's
Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON and BATTLE CRY.

She lives in
the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a glaring
of cats.

She is a
professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and
writing on The Snarkology.

About Me

Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello has written nineteen books in several genres, including nonfiction, memoir, romance, erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and articles on writing. She has also contributed to several bestselling boxed sets. Learn more about her books at her site, suzdemello.com.